Leaping out of the Frying Pan into the Flames
by Lana Langston
Summary: What if Vlad Tepesh turned Cat into a vampire instead of Bones in Destined for an Early Grave?
1. When Life Gives You Lemons Make Lemonade

This is the **other ** story idea I recently came up with after doing my summer annual re-read of entire Night Huntress series and anthology stories.

This story takes place during Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress book 4) right after Cat returns from getting her suppressed memories from Gregor about the one month of her life when she was sixteen. Bones is blazing livid when she returns and abruptly leaves without saying where's he's going. Cat believes that he has cast her off as a result of her decision to ask Gregor to restore her suppressed memories. That's the gist of it essentially. The story is told from Cat's POV!

 _ **Warning: There could potentially be many spoilers from Destined for the Grave and previous Night Huntress novels. If you haven't read the entire Night Huntress series, I'd highly recommend it. You'll better understand the character dynamics between Cat Crawfield and Vlad Tepesh along with plethora of book references sprinkled in the story!**_

 _ **Rated T for infrequent usage of profanity ranging from mild to strong...this is Cat we're talking about. :)**_

 ** _Now you're ready to start reading Leaping Out of the Frying Pan into the Flames! I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! R &R! Enjoy!_**

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 **Chapter 1: When Life Gives You Lemons Make Lemonade**

When I woke up the next morning, I was all alone in bed. Vlad must have woken up early to attend to his Master vampire business. I flopped on my back right as the blinding rays of sunlight blasted me right in the face. Suddenly the pastel beige curtains closed. Vlad Tepesh now stood by the bay window. A loosely tied navy blue robe revealed a sliver of his bare chest. He padded towards the bed. Laying down next to me, he turned his head in my direction. "I hope you got your beauty rest, Cat. It's almost one in the afternoon," he casually remarked. "I didn't want to awaken you since you haven't gotten much sleep these past four days."

As I flipped over on my stomach, my joints creaked with exhaustion. Last night was the first time I'd gotten a full eight hour of sleep. The past two weeks I'd been lucky to catch more than three hours of sleep. "Stuff it, Drac. My body still feels shitty," I groaned groggily while carefully balancing on my elbows.

"Now that it seems you're no longer wallowing in your self-despair you need to figure out what your next step is." Vlad's copper eyes bore into me. I knew full well what he meant. Though his advice seemed cold it was practical.

"I can't hide from Bones forever. I'll contact Mencheres right after breakfast to set up a meeting with Bones," I commented with an exasperated sigh. Mencheres, a mega-Master vampire, was Bone's grandsire and co-ruler.

Placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, the Romanian vampire empathically said, "I know this isn't easy, but you are resilient. You'll bounce back stronger than ever. It's better to deal with this now than let it fester and exacerbate." To say my ordeal wasn't easy was an _understatement_ of the fucking century! I regained the memories of the one month I spent with Gregor when I was sixteen that Mencheres suppressed for my "well-being". Evidently there was validity to Gregor's claim of our blood-bound marriage. Not that I would ever _vocally_ acknowledge it. Bones was my husband _not_ that manipulative bastard. I wasn't a delicious slab of meat to be fought over. Gregor could shove his claim over me up his ass!

My conflicting emotions engaged in vicious mental combat. If Vlad could read the tumultuous thoughts swirling around in my mind he demonstrated no indication nor reaction. Vlad Tepesh possessed the ability to read minds _including_ my half-breed mind. I knew only two other Master vampires with this ability. Mencheres and Bones.

Vlad's coppery irises tinged slightly emerald. Only two things made a vampire's eyes glow electrifyingly emerald: hunger and lust. Or possibly a mixture of both. Vlad and I had formed an unusual friendship over the past couple years. Neither of us easily made friends. He didn't need to verbally express his need to feed. Vlad's one condition for letting me stay with him was he would feed from me. It was fair payment and I had no problem with it.

I didn't need to push my hair off my shoulder since my crimson wavy locks were pulled back into a tight ponytail. I rolled onto my back and into an upright position while shifting closer to him until only a few inches separated our bodies. Tugging aside the baggy neckline of my short-sleeved shirt, I offered my bare neck to my friend. In a blur of motion, his iron grip seized my slim waist and pulled me into his lap. Both of us were now sitting upright leaning against the mahogany headboard. The sudden movement startled me as my heart deafeningly slammed against my ribcage.

His eyes now blazed bright emerald. Purposefully latching onto my exposed neck, fangs lightly grazed my skin sending a shudder through my whole body. A soft gasp escaped my lips as those fangs pierced my skin. Vampire bites don't always hurt. Vampire fangs release a euphoric serum making it a blissful experience. As my blood poured into Vlad's mouth, a pleasantly warm sensation spread through my entire body. Vlad lifted his head after three long suctions. His arms where the only thing keeping me sturdy as a dizzy spell washed over me. Cutting his thumb along his fang, he closed up the two holes on my neck.

"I was held up in a call with a business associate almost all morning. I haven't feed since last night," Vlad explained. Moving me out of his lap, my back leaned against the headboard cushioned by plush pillows.

A moment later, Shrapnel, one of his vampiric house staff, rapped on the door then entered the bedroom. One hand held a tall glass of water and an iron pill was cradled in the other hand. The vampire deposited them on the night stand next to me, then promptly walked out of the room. I washed down the iron tablet with one big gulp of water.

"Since Bones has made it clear he doesn't want anymore, I need to figure out what I'm going to do next. I cannot resume a normal human life not after the fucked up things I've seen over the past six years. This leaves me with quite a mind-boggling conundrum," I contemplatively mused aloud.

"Why don't you take the leap?" Vlad nonchalantly suggested while examining his fingernails.

Wait now I was very confused. "How can I take the leap into marriage when Bones has obviously cast me off? Things can't go merrily go back to how they were before this Gregor shit!" Incredulity seeped from each word.

Vlad huffed and rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant, Catherine," he clarified with heavy undertones of irritation. "Bones is a fool but he will never stop caring for you. But that's not my point. Anyone who is close to you damn well knows you act more like a vampire than a human. Your humanity is merely a convincing disguise and nothing else. You're much weaker as a half-breed. It doesn't give you an advantage anymore. In fact, it's more of a disadvantage. You're no longer playing in the _minor_ leagues...you're in the _major_ leagues now. Why not transition into a full vampire? There are infinitely endless possibilities to your potential vampiric abilities. You never cease to amaze whoever you encounter."

I gaped at Vlad in sheer disbelief. I was _literally_ stunned into speechlessness. It was almost as if he had read my mind _except_ he didn't. I had formed an impregnable fortress around any conflicting thoughts surrounded this topic. I relentlessly held onto the sliver remaining of my humanity for dear life. Hell ever since I was a young child I never felt truly human! So why was I so hesitant on transitioning into a full vampire? That was essentially the nature of this baffling quandary!

Vlad arched his dark brow awaiting my response.

"It has taken me almost six years to come to terms that all vampires aren't evil monsters. My mother persistently drilled this philosophy into me as a young child. Immersing myself among other supernatural creatures over the past few years made me realize how wrong I was. I have Bones to thank for that...but it isn't quite as easy to let go of my humanity _yet_ ," I admitted unable to maintain steady eye contact with Vlad.

"Humanity doesn't end when you become a vampire," Vlad bluntly remarked with a tightly controlled expression. "No matter how feudalistic vampire society's cultural norms might seem, Cat. You know you'll be better taken care of. Bones is bound by duty to ensure the well-being of everyone under his line _regardless_ how strenuous your relationship with him is. Human society cannot guarantee the same. No offense but you have no 'normal' skill set that's remotely useful in the average human job market that doesn't involve hunting and killing."

"Screw you, buddy! I have lots of resourceful skills to contribute to a normal job!" Anger interlaced each word as my grey eyes seeped with slivers of emerald.

My furious outburst _completely_ unfazed him. "You desire normalcy, but it won't provided you meaningful purpose in life. Normal is vastly overrated. Your notorious reputation has earned you high respect within the supernatural community, Red Reaper. That is an honorable commendation which isn't easy to attain. One knows not to expect predictability from you."

Fluffing one of the pillows, I tightly hugged it to my chest. "I'm so damn tired of constantly of looking over shoulders and anticipating future enemy attacks. I can't recall the last time I enjoyed a leisurely vacation _without_ something rudely interrupting it. Who knew those few weeks stuck with Bones in that isolated cave in the woods many years ago would be the _least_ complicated time of my life!" If you'd told me how crazy my life would become six years ago, the naive twenty-one year old Catherine Crawford would have cracked a rib from intense laughter. It would have sounded like an elaborately fabricated story.

"Just some food for thought. If you stop overanalyzing everything, you'd realize the simple truth staring you right in the face. I need to be on a conference call soon in my study then I'll be out for most of the afternoon. Remember Gregor can still pick up your location from your thoughts so don't read any newspapers or turn on the TV. I trust you can find something productive to pass the time. The chef will cook you anything you want. I'll return back in time for dinner." He gently kissed my forehead and slid off the bed before striding out of the room.

I was completely alone in the lavishly spacious bedroom. The staff busily milled around the house but sporadically checked up on me. They gave me my space. Smart cookies.

Throwing on a clean t-shirt and jeans, I headed downstairs to get some breakfast. The only way to avoid unintentionally revealing my currently location was to stay in Vlad's massive library. I hardly have had time to sit down and leisurely read with how crazy my life has been these past six years. Silence was therapeutically soothing _especially_ right now with my restless mind.

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 _ **Stay tuned for the next chapter of Leaping out of the Frying Pan into the Flames!**_


	2. Misery Loves Company

**_I realize it has been awhile since I last updated this particular story. I try to fit in time to work on my active FanFiction stories whenever I have free time. I finally broke thru the writers block I had with this Night Huntress story recently._**

 _ **Here is the new chapter of Leaping out of the Frying Pan into the Flames.**_

 _ **I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! R &R! Enjoy!**_

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 **Chapter 2: Misery Loves Company**

I have no idea what the exact time was. An orangey purple sunset overpowered the baby blue skyline indicated it was getting close to evening. Vlad hadn't returned back yet.

The few hours I spent exploring his massive library I learned more about him. Old leather bound and paperback books were haphazardly mixed together with more modern books. There was absolutely no organizational system arranging the enormous book collection. I took this daunting task upon myself to simply pass the time.

The house staff occasionally passed through the library to check up on me. They offered me a variety of snacks and refreshments. Shrapnel strongly suggested I ask his Master's permission before completely overhauling and arranging the book collection. I said nothing except flashing my middle finger at the vampire "butler". To hell with proper manners. Shrapnel offered no more objections afterwards and promptly left me alone in my fortress of solitude surrounded by tall stacks of books. Several grueling hours later, books were neatly filed away on the sky-high shelves. The books were organized by era. Within each era, it was further divided by genres. I was damn impressed with myself. Books can tell a lot about a person it seems. Soreness shot through all my body's nerve endings. I'd basically gotten a full body workout organizing more than 2,000 books. My half-vampire genes made me stronger than the average male yet weaker than a "young" vampire.

The house staff didn't appreciate me aimlessly roaming around the Vlad's palatial residence. I decided to venture to the basement. All Master vampire households housed their willing human blood donors in the basement. Three guys and three girls comfortably lived in the spacious basement. Surprisingly, the three college-aged boys were a set of triplets. I'd never encountered anything except twin siblings my entire life. I can't imagine what life was like for triplet siblings. How did all three somehow ended up as willing blood sources for Vlad Tepesh's Romanian household? That was a baffling quandary in itself. Immersed in their own little world, the boys' attention was directed at the interactive shooting video game on the big-ass plasma TV screen. They hardly noticed my presence in the spacious yet cozy basement.

The girls were exuberantly happy to interact with another female human who was college-aged. I didn't bother to tell them about being half-vampire. Neither did I correct them that I was actually 26 years old. Yet, I didn't look a day older than 21 or 22 thanks to my vampire genes. My short stint at Ohio State University almost four years ago gave me enough material to converse with the girls. Ironically, they'd dropped out of Ohio State University last year.

Leigh, Alessandria, and Karen were close friends and sorority sisters at Theta Pi Sigma. I never had much friends growing up so I never knew what it's like to have a close-knit group of girlfriends. My mother was the closest thing I had to a friend. The one girl, Stephanie, I befriended during my short-lived college stint at Ohio State University turned out to be a murderous psychopath doing Hennessey's evil bidding. These three girls gave me a glimpse of what it was like to be a _normal_ college-aged girl. My life motto: You can't miss what you never had. The past six years Bones has taught me to proudly embrace my vampire heritage...never to be ashamed of my genetic fluke.

After a few hours, we watched two romantic comedy movies. We even lavishly pampered ourselves with facial and mani-pedi treatments. The facial and mani-pedi treatments were _drastically_ tamer compared to Bones's torturous makeover to transform me into a slutty vampire huntress all those years ago.

The time flew by faster than I'd realized. Soon my stomach violently grumbled prompting me to leave the spaciously cozy basement and head to the kitchen for food. Being around those girls, I'd almost forgotten about my own shitty drama revolving around the one and only Gregor. Fuck the French bastard! Always putting a damper on my brief moments of joy. I'm absolutely sick and tired of Gregor raining down misery in all aspects of my life!

All my thoughts kept returning back to two people: Bones and Gregor. It was basically a flashing neon sign screaming for me to do something to change my shitty circumstance. I won't let others control my destiny!

I raided the massive refrigerator for whatever human food I could get my hands on to make the intense rumbling of my stomach subside. Wow what a variety of food I found! It was so difficult to decide on what to eat for dinner. Ultimately I fixed a plate with huge portions of meat lasagna, New York strip steak, red-skin mashed potatoes, and sweet corn. Dessert promptly followed. Ever since I was young child, I've always had a major sweet tooth. Thankfully my undead DNA makes it practically impossible to get diabetes or any other disease or sickness. Also, I'll never become fat. My genetic fluke did come with _some_ wonderful perks. An unopened Ben  & Jerry ice cream pint sat in the fridge calling my name. Karamel Sutra was the flavor the Ben & Jerry ice cream. My twisted sense of humor appreciated this innuendo-filled fun ice cream flavor name.

I'm starting to better understand why humans would willingly choose to permanently reside in a vampire household. The six willing human blood donors here wouldn't ever leave this household considering all that was available to them _within_ the walls of this palatial mansion. They hardly need to leave the comfort of Vlad's grandiose residence. Hell if I was them I'd abandon my old life and live here without a moment of hesitation! All Master vampires, no matter if they were ruthless son of bitches, had to take care of everyone under their line even their willing human blood donors permanently residing in their households. The laws of vampire society seemed barbaric to me initially. Soon I came to realize how much more efficient it was compared to human society which was very hypocritical when executing fair, unbiased justice upon its citizens. The past several years deeply embedded within the supernatural community opened my eyes to this shocking discovery.

Finishing off the Ben & Jerry ice cream pint carton, I rummaged the walk-in wine cellar, which situated right in the kitchen, for alcoholic beverage. Something strong preferably. Cabernet sauvignon. Pinot noir. Moscato. Chardonnay. Grey Goose vodka. Jack Daniels whiskey. Cabo Wabo tequila. Hennessey brandy. Bombay Sapphire gin. I debated between Grey Goose vodka, Jack Daniels whiskey, and Bombay Sapphire gin. To drown away my misery, gin was my choice of poison. I might drink vodka or whiskey next depending on my mood.

Right now alcohol was my coping mechanism to not dwell on how much I missed Bones. Before furiously storming out on me four days ago, he cast me off as his wife. No intention of contacting me nor his close friends. My phone has been blowing up with an overwhelming amount of text messages and voicemails from my family and friends, who were deeply concerned about my sanity and well-being. I didn't want to talk to them. I wouldn't even know what to say. _I needed to figure out what I'm going to do next. No more wallowing or dwelling on the past that can't be changed. No one else will dare tell me what needs to be done._

The Blue Sapphire bottle was empty. I had burned through half of the Jack Daniels whiskey. Slipping away from reality, I was completely lost in my conflicted internal musings. My tumultuous emotions were viscously brewing up a storm in my head. I hardly noticed that Vlad had returned. Standing a couple feet away, I still couldn't sense the Romanian vampire's presence behind me.

"I thought we'd gotten past is stage where you drown your sorrows with copious amounts of alcohol," Vlad exasperatedly commented.

His voice immediately snapped me back to reality. Taking a huge swig of whiskey, the liquid suddenly went down the wrong way. It instigated a fierce coughing fit wanting to expel the burning liquid from my wind pipe and lungs. I noisily slammed the Jack Daniels bottle onto the granite counter almost falling off the tall stool. One hand tightly gripped the counter for support while the other hand smacked my chest. It was several minutes before I could conjure the ability to coherently speak. Despite the burning sensation diminishing, hot tears painfully stung my eyes. I swiveled around on the stool throwing an infuriated glower at the Master vampire. "Holy shit, Vlad. Why the fuck can't you announce yourself instead of stealthily sneaking up on me? " I rasped while wiping away the tears with my free hand.

He arched a dark eyebrow at me. "I thought you had sensed my presence already. God you reek of whiskey and gin. You can't completely ignore your nutritional needs by replacing it entirely with alcohol," he harshly reprimanded me.

"Not that it's any of your business, asshole. I will damn well do what I want!" I defiantly barked. "For our information, I did in fact eat _real food_ for dinner tonight. It's past midnight. Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to have return back a few hours ago."

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Catherine. I can't help that my meeting with some business associates went a little longer than expected. You are more than capable of entertaining yourself." He removed his wool coat and elegantly draped it over his arm. "I can't drink from you tonight with this overpowering whiskey and gin stench emanating from you. I'm very exhausted and heading to bed right now. I trust you can get back to your bedroom without my assistance."

He swiveled on his heels and walked away from me. "Wait!" I blurted. "I know I look like a fucking mess right now—"

Partially turning around, he arched a dark eyebrow at me. "Understatement." Vlad was known for his brutal honesty. It was one of the qualities I loved but simultaneously hated about the Romanian vampire.

"At least me finish my sentence first dammit," I snapped, aggravation heavily interlaced each word. "I've contemplating about at my shitty situation with as much objectivity as I can conjure right now. Sometimes we hold onto things so tightly to the point it is completely irrational. I've made my decision of how I'm going to move forward with my life."

"I'm truly glad to hear you've been doing deep soul-searching today. Dwelling in the past is not how one moves on with their life. We can discuss this matter more tomorrow when both of us aren't awfully fatigued. Good night."

Vlad sauntered out of the kitchen and down the long darkened hallway. The palatial residence was pretty much silent with the occasional sound echoing through the house. Lethargy seeped deeply into my bones sapping whatever energy was left. Gripping the island countertop for stability and support, I clumsily stumbled off the tall stool. The Blue Sapphire and Jack Daniel bottles remained on the countertop. It seriously sucks that I cannot get drunk because of my unique genetics. There are times I long to possess _normal_ human capabilities. My conflicted musings continued to fiercely attack my thoughts. My deep soul-searching was refreshingly enlightening but had given me a raging migraine. I want to blackout and forget about my shitty problems for one night.

The winding staircase was somewhat of a challenge in my knackered state. I stumbled and tripped a couple times on steps that entirely escaped my notice. Even in my exhausted condition, I decided a shower would ease the uneasy tension in my body. I slammed the heavy mahogany door behind me. I stripped off my clothes, haphazardly tossing them onto floor, and padded towards the bathroom. Twenty minutes, the overpowering stench of whiskey and gin no longer lingered on my skin. I combed my damp hair using my fingers, brushed my teeth, and searched the closet for clean clothes. My semi-wet wavy tresses clung to the collar of the baggy grey t-shirt.

Climbing into the huge bed, I tightly hugged a spare pillow to my chest, which violently contracted with overwhelming emotions. All the emotions I'd deeply suppressed ferociously exploded inside of me. Never-ending tears spilled out of my eyes. My body violently trembled from my powerful wretch sobs. I have no idea how much time passed while I uncontrollably balled like a baby in a semi-fetal position. No matter how mentally and physically exhausted I couldn't fall asleep. _Dammit insomnia why do you relentlessly plague me!_ In frustration, I throw the pillow into the air as it toppled off the bed onto the floor.

The clock on the small table next to the bed read three o'clock in the morning. I don't know how many more sleepless night I can take. My body has been barely functioning on 2-4 hours of sleep these past four days. I can't sleep restfully through the night...only intervals of fitful sleep. I wouldn't be surprised if I start deliriously hallucinating things soon.

I don't want to be alone. The silence feels excruciatingly suffocating _especially_ tonight. My hands reach out for my cell phone on the night stand. The screen lit up informing me of 35 missed text messages, 22 missed calls, and 10 missed voicemail. My mother, Rodney, Spade, Denise, Tate, Dave, Juan, and even _Ian_ had made an effort to get in touch with me! They don't understand that I don't want to talk to any of them. I threw the phone across the room. _Thunk plop._ It ricocheted off the wall onto the plush carpeted-floor.

There was only one person I really wanted to be with. Bones. The only problem is he doesn't want to be found. Not even his best friends, Spade and Ian, or co-ruler know where he is. Although, I'm extremely thankfully Vlad allowed me to stay with him as long as I needed to recover and bounce back. My friends and family probably think Vlad Tepesh will take advantage of an emotionally vulnerable scorned lover.

Tossing back the sheets, I hopped out of bed. The past couple of nights Vlad had slept next to me. It has been surprisingly comforting and therapeutic. I scrambled to find shorts or pants, but ultimately gave up. I'm not too uptight about my sense of modesty _especially_ after knowing Bones and his friends for many years. My pajamas have been a form-fitting t-shirt, without a bra, and "granny" panties. Vlad respects our friendship way too much to take advantage of my emotional volatility by seducing me. I'm not completely blind to the fact of his stunning gorgeousness, but I don't think of Vlad like that at all.

I threw on a beige silk robe not bothering to tie it. Shutting the heavy mahogany bedroom door behind me, the hallway enveloped me in almost complete darkness. The only source of sparse light was the antique Victorian-era crystal chandelier lining the long hallway's ceiling. Vlad's bedroom chamber was at the opposite end of the hallway. The house staff informed me Vlad occasionally sleeps in the other vacant bedrooms. The Romanian vampire fiercely cherishes his privacy. He doesn't often entertain guests in his palatial residence. I'm very glad there aren't other guests milling around the house especially right now. Despite what my friends and family think about my current living arrangement, I willing chose to stay with here to seek sanctuary and solace away from my problems.

I lightly rapped three times on Vlad's bedroom door. Muffled sounds came from the room. My ears strained to hear the stifled voices but could only pick up bits and pieces. It seems the Romanian vampire had company. I don't want to rudely interrupt. I proceed to walk away. A few moments later, the door swung wide open. Maximus stepped out into hallway. I could vaguely make out the shape of his tall stature amidst the darkness. Flashing a fanged smile, his grey eyes, which tinged green, raked me from head to toe. "You can go in, Red Reaper."

My beige silk robe loosely hung open revealing my partially naked body. A light flush spread across my face. "Thanks," I tersely replied avoiding direct eye contact, tightly tying the robe closed. Brushing past Maximus, I sauntered into Vlad's bedroom.

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 _ **Stay tuned for the next chapter of Leaping out of the Frying Pan into the Flame.**_


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